Radiation shield device and method
Granted: September 9, 2003
Patent Number:
6617600
A radiation shield device (100) and method, the apparatus comprising either an absorbing shield (130), a scattering shield (200) or an absorbing and scattering shield (300) arranged in a processing tool (50) that irradiates a workpiece (70) with high-irradiance radiation (80) from a light source (78). The processing tool has a tool portion (66) having an irradiance damage threshold (IDT). The radiation shield device is designed to intercept a portion of the high-irradiance radiation that…
Method and apparatus for breaching and venting sealed inner containers within a drum
Granted: July 1, 2003
Patent Number:
6585008
An apparatus and method for breaching and venting sealed inner containers disposed within a drum, where the drum is evacuated to created a pressure differential resulting in expansion and rupture of the inner containers. The temperature may also be reduced to below freezing in the drum to reduce the elasticity of the inner containers, and the drum may also be pressurized to implode and rupture the inner containers.
Illumination fluence regulation system and method for use in thermal processing employed in the fabrication of reduced-dimension integrated circuits
Granted: May 27, 2003
Patent Number:
6570656
The closed loop embodiment includes a pulsed laser controller to selectively operate a pulsed laser in a lower-power probe mode or a higher power operational mode. In lower-power probe mode, values of eT (total radiation energy flooding ICs on a silicon wafer), er (fraction of eT specularly reflected), es (fraction of eT scattered) and es (fraction of eT transmitted through wafer) are obtained. A value for ea (fraction of eT absorbed wafer) is calculated i.e.…
Apparatus for and method of reducing or eliminating interference effects in a light tunnel illuminator
Granted: April 29, 2003
Patent Number:
6554464
A light tunnel (24) comprising a hollow light tunnel body (30) or a solid light tunnel body (80) having a central axis (A1 or A2), a reflective surface (42 or 84) facing the axis, and an output end (54 or 94) having an edge (60 or 106) with a chamfered surface (120 or 130) formed on the edge. The chamfered surface is designed to alter the reflective properties of the reflective surfaces of the light tunnel body near the output end so as to reduce or eliminate edge ringing from the light…
Motion compensation system and method for lithography
Granted: April 29, 2003
Patent Number:
6556279
A system and method of compensating for image smear that arises when imaging onto a moving workpiece with a single pulse of radiation. The system includes a mask frame capable of supporting a mask to be imaged. The mask frame is operatively connected to a drive unit and is capable of moving in the mask plane. The mask frame is driven in an oscillatory fashion in the mask plane so that when a pulse of radiation illuminates the mask, the mask image moves in the same direction as the moving…
Filter vent fitting
Granted: April 22, 2003
Patent Number:
6550492
A filter vent fitting for a drum which allows for the passage of hydrogen gas but precludes the passage of radioactive particulates, the fitting having evacuation/pressurization conduits which allow the drum to be evacuated or pressurized, and cryogenic/sapling conduits which allow the temperature of the drum to be reduced and samples drawn from the interior which are not filtered. Preferably a cap member is provided with a pressure balancing bore which is active during the evacuation…
Side alignment mark
Granted: March 18, 2003
Patent Number:
6534159
An apparatus in accordance with this invention includes an alignment mark that is formed in a substrate. The alignment mark extends across a dice line so that, upon dicing the substrate, the mark is exposed in the substrate's side edge. The mark is formed at a predetermined distance from a position at which a feature is desired to be formed on the substrate's side edge using a mask. Accordingly, the mark is a positional reference that can be used for highly accurate placement…
Apparatus having line source of radiant energy for exposing a substrate
Granted: March 11, 2003
Patent Number:
6531681
Radiant energy line source(s) (e.g., laser diode array) and anamorphic relay receiving radiant energy therefrom and directing that energy to a substrate in a relatively uniform line image. The line image is scanned with respect to the substrate for treatment thereof. Good uniformity is provided even when the line source is uneven. Optionally, delimiting aperture(s) located in the anamorphic relay focal plane and a subsequent imaging relay are includeable to permit substrate exposure in…
Backside alignment system and method
Granted: February 25, 2003
Patent Number:
6525805
A system and method for performing alignment of a substrate using alignment marks on the backside of a substrate supported by a movable chuck is disclosed. The system includes an imaging optical system arranged such that the movable chuck can position one end of the optical system either adjacent the front surface of the substrate or near the front surface but outside the perimeter of the substrate. In one embodiment, secondary optical systems are arranged within the chuck at the chuck…
Fiber-optic interferometer employing low-coherence-length light for precisely measuring absolute distance and tilt
Granted: January 14, 2003
Patent Number:
6507405
Disclosed are first and second embodiments of a 3-channel probe-plate structure of the fiber-optic interferometer, wherein low-coherent-length light from a superluminescent light-emitting diode is split by a tree splitter into three light branches which are coupled as separate light inputs to the probe-pate structure by single-mode, polarization-preserving optical fibers. For each of the 3 channels, the first embodiment of the probe-plate structure comprises an integrated polarizing…
Thermally induced reflectivity switch for laser thermal processing
Granted: December 17, 2002
Patent Number:
6495390
A method, apparatus and system for controlling the amount of heat transferred to a process region (30) of a workpiece (W) from exposure with laser radiation (10) using a thermally induced reflectivity switch layer (60). The apparatus of the invention is a film stack (6) having an absorber layer (50) deposited atop the workpiece, such as a silicon wafer. A portion of the absorber layer covers the process region. The absorber layer absorbs laser radiation and converts the absorbed…
Thermally induced phase switch for laser thermal processing
Granted: November 12, 2002
Patent Number:
6479821
A method, apparatus and system for controlling the amount of heat transferred to a process region (30) of a workpiece (W) from exposure with a pulse of radiation (10), which may be in the form of a scanning beam (B), using a thermally induced phase switch layer (60). The apparatus of the invention is a film stack (6) having an absorber layer (50) deposited atop the workpiece, such as a silicon wafer. A portion of the absorber layer covers the process region. The absorber layer absorbs…
Magnetically positioned X-Y stage having six degrees of freedom
Granted: August 27, 2002
Patent Number:
6441514
The respective magnets of each of a plurality of spaced Halbach magnet arrays in both the X and Y directions that incorporate in the arrays in both directions, the magnets having a field oriented parallel to the Z axis in alternately the positive and negative directions. The magnets in each array in each direction that are not shared by the crossing Halbach magnet arrays each has a horizontal field orientation parallel to either the X or the Y axis with the filed direction in each…
Method of forming a silicide region in a Si substrate and a device having same
Granted: July 16, 2002
Patent Number:
6420264
A method of forming a silicide region (80) on a Si substrate (10) in the manufacturing of semiconductor integrated devices, a method of forming a semiconductor device (MISFET), and a device having suicide regions formed by the present method. The method of forming a suicide region involves forming a silicide region (80) in the (crystalline) Si substrate having an upper surface (12) and a lower surface (14). The method comprises the steps of first forming an amorphous doped region (40) in…
Method for forming a silicide region on a silicon body
Granted: May 14, 2002
Patent Number:
6387803
The invented method produces a silicide region on a silicon body that is useful for a variety of purposes, including the reduction of the electrical contact resistance to the silicon body or an integrated electronic device formed thereon. The invented method includes a step of producing an amorphous region on the silicon body using ion implantation, for example, a step of forming a metal layer such as titanium, cobalt or nickel in contact with the amorphous region, and a step of…
Structure and method for an optical block in shallow trench isolation for improved laser anneal control
Granted: May 14, 2002
Patent Number:
6388297
A shallow trench isolation (STI) structure (170, 300), formed in a silicon substrate (110) for use in sub-micron integrated circuit devices, for providing enhanced absorption of a wavelength of laser light during laser annealing. The STI structure includes a shallow trench (140) having a depth of 0.5 &mgr;m or less etched in the silicon substrate, and an optical blocking member (174, 304) that includes an insulator (144, 224) formed in the shallow trench and designed to reflect or absorb…
Method of forming thermally induced reflectivity switch for laser thermal processing
Granted: May 7, 2002
Patent Number:
6383956
A method, apparatus and system for controlling the amount of heat transferred to a process region (30) of a workpiece (W) from exposure with laser radiation (10) using a thermally induced reflectivity switch layer (60). The apparatus of the invention is a film stack (6) having an absorber layer (50) deposited atop the workpiece, such as a silicon wafer. A portion of the absorber layer covers the process region. The absorber layer absorbs laser radiation and converts the absorbed…
High-speed semiconductor transistor and selective absorption process forming same
Granted: April 30, 2002
Patent Number:
6380044
A high-speed semiconductor transistor and process for forming same. The process includes forming, in a Si substrate (10), spaced apart shallow trench isolations (STIs) (20), and a gate (36) atop the substrate between the STIs. Then, regions (40,44) of the substrate on either side of the gate are either amorphized and doped, or just doped. In certain embodiments of the invention, extension regions (60,62 or 60′,62′) and deep drain and deep source regions (80, 84 or…
Scanning microlithographic apparatus and method for projecting a large field-of-view image on a substrate
Granted: April 30, 2002
Patent Number:
6381077
A simple −1X, catadioptric projection relay system (e.g., a modified Wynne-Dyson relay) is combined with a linear scanning and object and image indexing systems to provide good imagery over a useful field which is two or more times wider than the field size of the projection system and arbitrarily long. The projection system has opposed and parallel object and image planes and produces an image in which object and image vectors in one direction are parallel and in a normal…
Laser thermal process for fabricating field-effect transistors
Granted: April 2, 2002
Patent Number:
6365476
A simplified and cost reduced process for fabricating a field-effect transistor semiconductor device (104) using laser radiation is disclosed. The process includes the step of forming removable first dielectric spacers (116R) on the sides (120a, 120b) of the gate (120). Dopants are implanted into the substrate (100) and the substrate is annealed to form an active deep source (108) and an active deep drain (110). The sidewall spacers are removed, and then a blanket pre-amorphization…
